Rick Wells Runs Away From Montgomery to Win San Diego Triathlon

SAN DIEGO —  Rick Wells showed that he is a rising star in the triathlon as he ran past the ship Star of India Sunday in the San Diego Invitational Triathlon.

Wells, 24, who is from New Zealand, kicked past Mark Montgomery in the last leg of the three-part race--the 10-kilometer run--and pulled away from last year’s champion where the 123-year-old ship is docked on the Embarcadero. Wells finished 15 seconds ahead of Montgomery at Seaport Village to win the $600 first-place prize money. Montgomery received $400 for second place.

More than 800 athletes entered the race, but a key performer was absent. Scott Tinley, the sport’s superstar who won the 1982 and 1985 Ironman Triathlons in Hawaii and who was last year’s Triathlon magazine Triathlete of the Year, did not compete as expected. Tinley won the Canton Bud Light Triathlon in Massilon, Ohio, on Saturday and flew into San Diego at 1 a.m. Sunday. His bicycle and other gear were lost in the transition.

“(The airline) really screwed me up,” Tinley said. “I could have scraped something together (another bike, other shoes, etc.) but it wouldn’t have been worth it. I wanted to watch my wife run.”

Virginia Tinley ran her third triathlon in three weeks and said afterward: “The trilogy is over.” Ted Tinley, Scott’s 14-year-old brother, also finished the race.

The triathlon began with a 1,000-meter swim around designated buoys off Spanish Landing. After a transition of swim gear to bike wear, the athletes cycled 30 kilometers to Cabrillo Monument and back. A 10-kilometer run ended the race at Seaport Village.

“I like the course,” Montgomery said. “I like a little longer bike course, but it was very fast. I won here last year and tried to get psyched up for it this year. The guy from New Zealand (Wells) is really good, one of the best triathletes in the world.”

Wells immediately showed why as he finished the swim 100 yards ahead of his nearest competitor. Montgomery, 30, caught Wells on the bike and had a narrow lead entering the 10K run, but Wells challenged the defending champion early, played cat-and-mouse for a few miles and then gradually pulled away.

Wells finished in 1 hour, 43 minutes and 38 seconds. Montgomery took second in 1:43.53.

“My transitions were good; nobody ever beats me there,” Montgomery said. “I knew he (Wells) was a really good runner and by far the best swimmer in the race. I caught him on the bike, nine or 10 miles into it, and even pulled ahead a couple of times. I just couldn’t leave him. As soon as you catch a guy you lose your rabbit. He was my rabbit and once I caught him there was no more rabbit.”

“When we were running together I didn’t know what to expect,” Montgomery said. “He was just tough in the run.”

Very tough. Montgomery ran the 10K in 33 minutes flat--and still lost ground.

“Once I started pulling away from him (Montgomery) I knew he was tired,” Wells said. “I just kept it up.”

In the women’s professional division, Carlina Heins maintained a good pace to win the $500 first prize. Heins, 26, a mechanical engineer from Ajax, Ontario, made her move on the bike and increased her lead in the run to finish in 1:53.55. Liz Vitai took second (1:58.55) and Beth Lutz third (2:01.13).

“I got behind in the swim, but I knew I would catch most of them on the bike,” Heins said. “My biking and running are equally strong.”

Heins won the first triathlon she ever entered--the Brockville Riverfest in Ontario in 1984.